Videos

21 questions and answers about GEOTRACES

We invite you to view this video introducing the International GEOTRACES Programme. Questions related to the GEOTRACES programme are asked to seven GEOTRACES researchers: how was the programme developed, why was it important for the programme to commit to developing a merged global database with rigorous data quality control, what is the international coverage of the programme, and others.

You can choose to view the entire video by clicking on the play button below (it lasts 18 minutes) or select a specific question below to view the sequence where this question is answered.

Trace metal chemistry: less is more

Dr. Tim Conway from University of South Florida brings a wealth of understanding of trace metals...

One billion liters of seawater would be required to gather just 25 grams of iron, yet this trace element is essential to every form of life on the planet. A group of scarce but biologically important elements in the ocean, referred to as trace metals, can either limit the growth of organisms or be toxic, depending on the concentration. Dr. Tim Conway brings a wealth of understanding of trace metals, in part due to extensive interaction with the International GEOTRACES program, a study of the marine biogeochemical cycles of trace elements and their isotopes...

2016 Investigator voyage to the Kerguelen Plateau

View a compilation of highlights from the IMAS-led HEOBI 2016 cruise (GEOTRACES process study) by the Australian MNF Research Vessel Investigator to the Southern Ocean and Kerguelen Plateau. Featuring the first video ever taken of the volcano Big Ben on Heard Island erupting, and at sea collection of samples from the Southern Ocean.

Polar bears investigate GEOTRACES Equipment

We invite you to view the video below to meet three curious polar bears that investigate the cable of the Canadian GEOTRACES clean sampling system during the 2015 GEOTRACES Arctic expedition.

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The video was taken by Kathryn Purdon (undergraduate student, University of Victoria, Canada) on September 16, 2015, near 75 N 150 W in the middle of the Beaufort Sea in the Arctic Ocean. The ship was located far from sea ice and land. Indeed, Arctic sea ice extent was the fourth lowest on record this year and there has been speculation that this imposes stress on polar bears which rely on the ice to hunt. They tested out the cable (which is made of a synthetic fiber similar to kevlar that is used in bulletproof vests) with their teeth. In the end the cable survived intact. The equipment was retrieved as quickly and safely as possible so the ship could move off and give the bears their space (click here to discover the equipment being deployed).

If you want to learn more about this history, please visit Prof. Jay Cullen Lab's webpage.

Journey to the top of the World

An international mission to map geochemistry of the Arctic Ocean

Read this very interesting and appealing article about the U.S. Arctic GEOTRACES expedition and watch the videos included in it. This article has been prepared by the Florida International University, home institution of Dave Kadko, the chief scientist of this expedition: http://arctic.fiu.edu/

Two videos documenting work for educational purposes on the icebreaker CGCS Amundsen as part of the Canadian Arctic GEOTRACES expedition are available below:

Preparing the Trace Metal Rosette for Deployment in the Labrador Sea

Scientists from the University of Victoria and University of British Columbia work together to prepare a specialized trace metal clean seawater sampling system to be deployed in the Labrador Sea during July 2015.